Is Barbie Dreamhouse worth it? My honest opinion and review of Barbie Dreamhouse 2023

With Barbie being the talk of the town in 2023, I wanted to give my honest opinion on whether Barbie Dreamhouse is worth it. Let's not beat around the bush - this is an expensive toy purchase.  As a parent it is important to me to know the real play value of the big purchases - do kids use them, how long, and what ways? In this review I'll talk about the Barbie Dreamhouse 2023 edition, my experiences of the quality, and how much and how well my kids play with it.  

I'm going to be reviewing specifically the Barbie Dreamhouse 2023 edition, as that's the one we have, but the general observations of the play value apply to other Dreamhouses too. 

You can find the Barbie Dreamhouse 2023 on Amazon UK or on

Barbie Dreamhouse 2023 on Amazon US - do consider using these affiliate links if you found this review helpful. 

Is Barbie Dreamhouse worth it?

As a general observation - yes. It is expensive, at RRP The Barbie Dreamhouse 2023 is £249.99 (although I have seen deals for under £200 as well such as on Amazon). But it does provide a huge amount of play value.  

Barbie Dreamhouse 2023 is huge, absolutely humongous, and is nearly as tall as my five year old. It is overall good quality, with strong durable plastic and there are a lot of accessories included, from furniture, to soft furnishings to kitchen equipment. 

The play value of this Barbie Dreamhouse is plentiful - my kids have played with consistently over the last three months we have had it. The Dreamhouse has also got so many child visitors excited, and into playing with it. It has also appealed to a wider range of ages than expected - my five year old has naturally loved it, but it has appealed to older kids too. We have had a number of ten year olds that have enjoyed playing with it. 

This Dreamhouse is also very similar to the one in the film Barbie The Movie (2023) with the very cool spiral pool slide you saw in the film!

How big is the Barbie Dreamhouse 2023?

In two words - very big! It is nearly as tall as my five year old (who is just shy off 120cm). It is also rather wide, although if space is an issue you can remove the pool slide. I did find the Dreamhouse to be a bit awkwardly shaped. It is slightly curved so you can not put it flush against the wall. This means it will take more room than you might imagine. 

The box it is delivered in is also humongous. If you are trying to keep this a secret from your kid do keep this in mind as it will be delivered with a SUV and the box is branded and difficult to hide due to the size. 

Is Barbie Dreamhouse 2023 good quality and easy to assemble? 

Yes, it is an excellent quality. I was a bit apprehensive, as I have lots of bad experiences of self-assembly items with so many things skewed or incorrectly set. This Dreamhouse however could be assembled so easily. The amount of items was a lot, and it did take me a good two hours to put everything and the stickers on. That said, the instructions were pretty good and the assembly was helped by there being clear markings on the items as to which slots were paired with which slots. 

What accessories and equipment does Barbie Dreamhouse 2023 include?

So so so many. There are so many accessories you will lose track. Great dining and kitchen equipment, lots of decorative items for the house, furniture like tables and sofas, bathroom items, towels, blankets and so on. 

Additional items also included a doghouse, a dog bowl, a bone, a doggy slide and a doggy pool - and a little dog itself! My five year old was very excited about this addition and so happy to find it. 

The house itself has cool equipment - for example a living room set-up that converts into a bed, and another bed that stacks itself so you can have big Barbie slumber parties for all your Barbies. 

There is a giant spiral slide, just like in Barbie The Movie (2023), and you can fill the detachable pool with water and get the Barbies splashing about. Don't forget the little pool party drinks cups with drink holders - these float by the way for the proper pool party experience... The spiral slide can be removed, when the Dreamhouse is moved or if space is an issue. But I'd recommend keeping it on of course, it is one of the most fun big stand-out features of the Dreamhouse. 

The wheelchair accessible elevator is great, and there is a little doggy-side too for the pet. The elevator can get a little stiff, so do ensure your kids aren't too rought with it. My five year old hasn't managed to break it yet though so seems like it has well-built tracks. 

I also thought the cooker and the toilet that both have sound-effects were very cool. The oven has a little light, and dings when food is ready. My kids had great fun flushing the Barbie's toilet, that amused them a long time. 

What did my kids think of Barbie Dreamhouse 2023?

My kids absolutely loved (and still love) their Barbie Dreamhouse 2023. While this was primarily a toy for my five year old, my ten year old has also enjoyed playing with her sister and the dollhouse. 

When we have had child visitors they have been awed with the Barbie Dreamhouse, and it has proved to be the big favourite item all want to play with. Not surprisingly of course, it is a big and fun item and not everyone has it. Even friends of my ten year old have been quite enthusiastic about "helping" the five year old play! I think it is quite nice that this Barbie Dreamhouse encourages slightly older kids to get back into being kids again and play for playings sake. Childhood is so fleeting and they'll have plenty chances to sit on their tablets and phones in the future..

And of course, Barbie Dreamhouse also houses lots of other toys at times. We have had LOL Dolls make their visits, as well as smaller soft toys who seem to take over the house periodically. So it is not just for Barbies!

What did I not like about the Barbie Dreamhouse 2023?

Like I have mentioned, the Dreamhouse was big but also awkwardly shaped. It had a slightly curved shape to it so you cannot put it flush against a wall. This means it sticks out. It seems the idea was to provide an easier access to the house from behind, for kids to move around the Dreamhouse and be able to play with it in a 360 degrees ways. Great idea, in principle, but realistically how many of us have big enough houses where kids can walk around a toy item longer than 1.5 meters? To put this in perspective, this toy is bigger than our recliner chair. 

This toy would be a great in a play room, or in a large living room, but if you are thinking of having it is your child's room do measure carefully. For my daughters (admittedly very small) room, this just about fits, just. 

Have you considered buying Barbie Dreamhouse?

If you found this review helpful, please consider checking these affiliate links to Barbie Dreamhouse 2023 on Amazon UK or on Barbie Dreamhouse 2023 on Amazon US - if you buy through these links I get a few pennies at no extra cost to you. 

You might also like: What my children are learning through playing with the new diverse Barbies?

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